The Firewhisky Chronicles
by HeirsandGraces
Summary: Even though they had only communicated a handful of times in the past four years, Scorpius knew from the moment he saw her that he loved Dominique Weasley. A party one night before her graduation begins a series of events that leads them down a long, wandering road to happiness. The ties that keep them together are the depths of honest affection and a bottle of firewhisky.
1. Chapter 1

**To anyone who reads this, please note that the story begins in a rather juvenile manner but will grow mature as our characters grow older. Hence, you should note that this story will take on more mature themes as it progresses. Try to look at each chapter as a series of stories in Scorpius' life all with one common bond: firewhisky & Dominique Weasley.**

 **As always, I appreciate reviews and comments!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

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 **May 28th, 2021**

Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup, the seventh years were done with their N.E.W.T.S, and it was the Friday before they departed for summer break.

With the tiding of these special occasions, they were celebrating.

Scorpius cared little for Quidditch, much to the chagrin of his father and his fellow classmates. Granted, Albus was still a tad sore from Slytherin's loss to Gryffindor in the final game, but even he wasn't one to turn down a party. The two of them were standing in the Gryffindor Commons, in the midst of the revelries taking place that night. Albus had smuggled them into the party with the invisibility cloak and some assistance from Rose. Rose pointed out that Albus was just happy that the family treasure would now belong to him upon James' graduation.

There were crates of Butterbeer pushed against the walls for makeshift seating. Scorpius had procured a bottle of Ogden's Finest Firewhisky from his father's stash over the Easter holiday, and they poured it freely into cups smuggled from the kitchens.

Music made conversation hard to hear, but they yelled despite it. Silencing charms had been placed on the walls to stifle the noise, not that Professor Longbottom would keep his students from their revelries. They deserved a bit of celebration after such a tough victory.

Glitter and confetti floated in the sky, fireworks darted around the ceiling, and somehow Albus had managed to procure a lamp shade to wear on his head.

Scorpius danced with Rose to a song by _The Weird Sisters_ , swinging her around to the rampant beat. As they parted he caught a glimpse of Dominique Weasley sitting on a Butterbeer crate with a group of older students.

For just a moment, the world stopped around Scorpius as he stared at the young woman.

From his position on the dance floor, Scorpius had the opportunity to observe Dominique Weasley.

The young woman had her legs tucked up underneath her; when standing she was tall, nearly as tall as Scorpius was and he clocked in at a cool six feet, two inches. Her hair was tied up in a neat chignon, her long neck exposed. Her attire consisted of a pink sleeveless blouse with a matching skirt, and her tall boots were freshly polished. On her fingers she wore delicate gold rings, and pearl studs rested on her earlobes.

She was radiant.

For four years, he had watched her from afar. It wasn't like they never spoke to one another. They had talked a handful of times over the past four years. However, their conversations had never delved deeper than pleasantries about the weather. She saw him as her cousins' friend – a child. Yes, she was only three years older than him, but in school that meant everything.

Dominique was going to be a writer. He had eavesdropped enough times to hear her talk excitedly to her friends about her dream job with _The Daily Prophet_. Scorpius knew the Editor-in-chief of the _Prophet_ , he wondered if it would be overstepping a boundary to offer her an introduction. That would be admitting to eavesdropping. She would be graduating in May, leaving to pursue her dream of being a writer while he remained at Hogwarts. He had watched her for four years just waiting to make a move.

It was hard when they were constantly separated by friends and family. The Weasley-Potter clan made up a substantial percentage of the Hogwarts' population. At any given time Dominique would have a relative nearby. At any given time his attention was being taken away by one of those bloody redheads he called 'friends'. If he approached her, and it happened to go terribly, there would be hell to pay. But, he wasn't really afraid of her family. He was afraid of screwing it up with Dominique. He was afraid of ruining an opportunity he had dreamed about since he had first laid eyes on her brilliant face.

In that moment, Scorpius decided that it was now or never. He would make his move on Dominique Weasley tonight or live to regret it for the rest of his life.

Rose pulled him into another dance, her face bright red from drink. She was his best friend, his confidant. With Albus, they were the trio. Rose was the only one to know of his deep rooted fascination with Dominique, and she approved. The two of them were close; Dominique, in Rose's opinion, lacked the haughty "French-ness" that plagued her two siblings.

They danced a little more before Scorpius pulled Rose from the crowd to a more secluded area of the party. Above the noise he attempted to shout, "I'm going to do it tonight, Rose!"

His friend looked confused, her brow furrowed, "What?"

"I'm going to do it tonight. I'm going to make tell Dominique how I feel!"

Rose seemed to debate what he was saying; no doubt the alcohol slowing her ability to process information. After a moment, a look of recognition crossed her face before she beamed up at him, "That's fantastic! How are you going to tell her?"

Scorpius frowned. He really hadn't though that far. It wasn't like he could bloody well go up and blurt it out. He needed to pick the right time.

Gazing around the room, Dominique was nowhere to be found. Scorpius stood up on a crate, gazing over the moving heads of the party goers. He caught a flash of pink and spotted her over with Albus and James. Grabbing Rose's wrist, Scorpius nearly dragged the girl over to where Dominique was standing. James was holding his bottle of firewhisky, pouring it into the cups of the girls surrounding him. He was making some type of lewd joke, which earned him a jab in the ribs from Dominique. As Scorpius approached with Rose in tow, the circle diverted their attentions to the newcomers. Albus threw his arm around Scorpius and pronounced, "This is mighty fine hooch, old boy. We shall have to drink this every time Slytherin loses."

James chimed, "If you stick to that rule, Albie, you'll have to be drinking quite a lot of it next year."

The Gryffindor students laughed in amusement. Albus shot his brother a dark look while Scorpius disentangled himself from his friend's grasp. He was staring at Dominique, though the witch didn't seem to notice. She was sipping the firewhisky in her glass, her nose wrinkling at the smell.

"What did you put in here James? Cauldron cleaner?"

James sniffed it himself, "No, it's whatever Scorpius brought."

Dominique raised her pale eyes expectantly at him. He blushed under her scrutiny, quickly saying, "It's a vintage firewhisky from my Father's collection. It's supposed to be really good."

Truth be told, he hadn't drunk any himself. The older the firewhisky, the more potent its content, and that bottle was from 1942.

Dominique moved forward to pour half the liquid from her cup into Scorpius' empty glass. There was little more than half a cup of firewhisky swirling together with the remnants of Butterbeer. He glanced at Dominique wore a mischievous smile on her face.

" _You_ drink, _I_ drink."

Scorpius was dumbfounded that she was even talking to him let alone egging him on to a dare.

Without thinking, Scorpius raised the cup to his lips and downed the liquid. His eyes burned from the sting of the bitter alcohol against his throat. Dominique had been right in her description of the liquor; it smelled like cauldron cleaner and tasted no better. With the last of the whiskey down his throat, Scorpius withheld the urge to gag, yet he coughed a bit while patting his chest. After collecting himself, Scorpius looked at Dominique whose eyes were twinkling in delight.

Calmly, he responded, "Your turn."

The witch looked at the liquid in her glass and grimaced, but following his lead she downed the firewhisky in one gulp. A look of pain crossed Dominique's face, and there were tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She let out a shaky breath as her friends tittered nervously behind her. One girl piped up, "Dominique that was very reckless!"

Dominique shrugged her shoulders, brushing off the comment. James was laughing at the idiocy taking place in front of him, though he had not touched the liquid in his own glass. The conversation diverged and Dominique stopped directing her attention to Scorpius, falling back in line with her friends.

Albus and Rose were chattering on about something aimless when the music switched. Several girls in the crowd squealed with delight as the new song blasted over the record player. Rose excitedly pulled Albus into a dance while Scorpius remained standing next to James. He would not remove himself willingly from Dominique's presence; especially after that unexpected move on her part. James eventually led Dominique's friends to the dance floor, a girl on either arm.

That left Dominique and Scorpius alone to watch the chaos take place.

He glanced at the witch beside him, her hair dazzling in the mellow light. She was not blonde like her siblings, nor red like her cousins. It was almost a golden brown color that looked like spun gold from where he was standing. He struggled to think of something to talk to her about. What could they talk about when all they had ever really discussed was the weather or Quidditch?

Luckily, Dominique was the first to speak, "I'm going to miss this nonsense when I graduate."

She motioned to the room. Her friends were basking under James' attentions, while Rose was slyly trying to squeeze between a good-looking sixth year and his partner. It was a blur of color and laughter, but it was the way life was supposed to be – simple, fun, carefree.

The witch turned to look keenly at Scorpius. Under the pressure of her gaze, he blurted, "But you'll get to be working at the _Prophet_ soon, so that'll be good?"

He blanched as her face contorted in bewilderment. **Oh crap** , he was screwed.

"How do you know I want to work at the _Prophet_?"

"Uh well – Rose told me!" Yes, that's it - blame it on Rose. Scorpius continued, "Rose told me about how you want to be a writer for the _Prophet_ after you leave Hogwarts. I think that's great endeavor."

If she didn't believe the lie, she didn't say anything. Instead, Dominique rolled her eyes, "Well I don't know if it's going to be that simple. Writing jobs are hard to come by, and I don't know if I could get in on talent alone. My Mum wants me to work at Gringotts and my Dad wants me to join him in Romania as his secretary. They say its steadier work with a lot more income which is helpful."

Scorpius saw her frown. She wanted to be a writer. He had listened to her talk about it for the past four years. She subscribed to every magazine and newspaper printed, and would pour over them at the breakfast table. Rose said she talked about nothing else but writing. She wanted to be a reporter, or have her own column like Rita Skeeter. Wasn't one of her aunts a writer? Scorpius thought it silly that her parents would stifle her desires simply over an issue of money. Then again, he had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Maybe it was the drink talking, but Scorpius interjected, "You have to do what makes you happy, and if writing makes you happy you have to do it!"

It was a bit nonsensical and was said sort of hurriedly so that many of the words flowed together. Dominique's smile returned, however, which made Scorpius happy. He would do anything in the world to never see her frown again.

"I know the Editor-in-chief at the _Prophet_. He is a good friend of my father's, and comes over for dinner at my house at least once a month. I could tell him about you."

Dominique's eyes widened in shock her face suddenly beaming. Within an instant, she clutched his arm, pulling at the cotton of his grey t-shirt. Scorpius savored the feeling of her warm hand touching his skin. She gazed up into his face as if he were Merlin reincarnated. Scorpius' blush returned, his ears burning. Her own face was tinged with pink, though he suspected it was from the firewhisky and not the fact that she was touching him.

She cried, "You would do that for me? You would really mention my name to the Editor-in-chief of the _Prophet._ That could be my way in! That would be fantastic!"

All he could manage was to nod.

The young woman jumped excitedly, holding onto his arm. She threw her arms around him and squeezed, and in that moment Scorpius' heart stopped. Their empty cups spilled to the floor, but he couldn't care less. He caught a whiff of the jasmine perfume she wore and dedicated it to memory. As soon as the hug had begun, it was quickly ended when the witch held him at arm's length. Her eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

Scorpius froze.

Dominique spoke, "Why are you doing this for me? We hardly know one another and I don't suspect that it's just because your my cousins' friend."

This was it. This was the moment to tell her how much he had always admired her from afar. How he was over-the-moon, head-over-heels, in love with Dominique Weasley, a girl he had dreamt about every night for the past four years.

Scorpius inhaled, the firewhisky backing the new found courage welling in his chest, "Well, you see Dominique, for the past four years I have-"

"Dominique, you are wanted for the Quidditch picture! Eliza found the camera in her trunk!"

James came forward, interrupting Scorpius' moment. The older wizard curiously watched the scene in front of him, Dominique's hands still on Scorpius' arms while Scorpius appeared completely flustered. Dominique quickly let go of Scorpius, turning to smile at her cousin, "I'll be right there, Scorpius was just about to tell me something."

The two of them twisted back around to listen to Scorpius.

Well, he couldn't pour his heart out to her while James was standing there. Sighing, Scorpius caught Dominique's stare and simply responded, "I just think everyone deserves a chance at their dreams. Besides, it's no skin off my nose he eats at my house every month."

That was it, play it off aloof like it meant nothing to him. Like she meant nothing to him. Dominique could only smile as James hurried her off for the picture. Scorpius kicked at the empty cups on the floor damning James and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team to hell.

There went his last chance at telling Dominique how he felt.

The clock read past midnight and he had grown bored of the party. His mood had soured and Scorpius now just wanted to go to bed. He said his goodbyes to Albus and Rose who begged him to stay a little longer.

As Scorpius made his way out of the portrait hole and onto the landing, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Hey Scorpius, wait!"

Dominique hopped out into the darkness, wobbling a bit. Scorpius quickly went to her aid, surprised at her appearance. She was grinning, "I saw you leaving and I wanted to say goodbye."

"What about the picture?"

"Bah, the picture can wait! I didn't get the chance to say thank-you. I know it's no skin off your nose to talk to that Editor, but it honestly means the world to me."

In the shadows of the dark corridor, Dominique Weasley gave Scorpius a quick peck on the lips. She giggled from the obvious awkwardness of the situation and waited for him to say something. Scorpius was in a state of shock and just stood there wide-eyed, eyebrows raised in surprise. The witch went back to the portrait hole to enter the Commons once more. Over her shoulder she smiled and called back, "Have a good summer, Scorpius!"

Perhaps he had not confessed his love to Dominique Weasley that night, but it would be a night Scorpius would always remember.


	2. Chapter 2

**Quick update! A little bit of a plot twist in this chapter that will hopefully keep everyone interested.**

 **Thank you for the reads & reviews!**

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 **December 26th, 2023**

It was Christmas Eve and the Burrow was decorated from floor to ceiling. There were candle fixtures lining the walls, and crepe paper lanterns in green and gold hanging from the ceiling. Garlands with pinecones covered the banisters and icicles dripped water onto the patchy carpeted floors. It was rustic and a little over-done, but it was charming.

As Scorpius moved through the house several of the older adults watched him with curious interest. Who would have suspected a Malfoy ever stepping foot into the Burrow? Scorpius was just as shocked as they were. Though he had been friends with Albus and Rose for the past six years, this was his first time ever stepping foot into their grandparent's home.

Maybe it helped that he was dating a member of the family now.

James was entertaining them with stories about Auror training. Everyone was dressed festively in shades of green, red and gold. Rose even had her hair done up to mimic a Christmas tree complete with blinking faerie lights. He had been at the Weasley's Christmas party for thirty minutes now, and still there was no sign of his girlfriend. She was due to be arriving with her parents at any moment.

' _Where was she?_ ' he thought. The wizard glanced around the room.

"Scorpius! You're here!"

Before he could react, Scorpius felt a body collide with his back. A young woman had grabbed him from behind and wrapped her limbs around him. He smiled slightly, feeling all eyes in the room turn to focus on the scene. The witch disentangled herself, still holding onto Scorpius' upper bicep. His girlfriend, Lily Potter, was watching him with a look of pure joy on her face. She was a pretty girl with the Weasley red hair and freckles. Dressed in a blue jumper with a giant 'L' on the front, and khaki slacks, her youth from her demeanor to the way her hair was braided into pigtails. Scorpius liked her though, despite that. After several months of back and forth flirtation, he had finally asked her out in September (with Albus' approval, of course).

With his arm firmly in her grip, Scorpius was directed to where Lily's parents were seated. He spotted Mr. Potter in the corner next to his wife; the man was attempting to stifle any look of displeasure at the sight of his daughter with a Malfoy. It was the same look Scorpius' father had given him when he had mentioned his relationship with Lily.

So far, he was just lucky he hadn't been jinxed into oblivion. Though, the night was still young.

There was shouting in the entry way and everyone seemed to congregate in the living room to watch the scene.

An older gentleman with scars on his face was standing next to an older woman with white blonde hair. They were arguing with someone who had just walked through the door; from the angle that Scorpius was at, however, he could not see who was being yelled at. It appeared that the man was the one doing the yelling while his wife attempted to mediate the situation. The rest of the living room inhabitants had stopped their conversation instead focusing on the disagreement.

"It's no big deal Dad, just normal newspaper stuff."

That voice. Scorpius recognized that voice.

The older man replied, "You are crying on Christmas Eve, it _is_ a big deal! Now, explain to me what happened. I have half a mind to go down to _The Prophet_ right now and tell them what I think about your working conditions."

Lily's mother piped up next to her husband, "It's that _odious_ Rita Skeeter. She is the cause of this Bill. I'll speak to her about it the next time I see her."

"I want everyone to stay out of my business. I am an adult, I can handle it myself!"

With that Dominique Weasley pushed past her parents, ignoring all in the living room staring at her. Scorpius made brief eye contact with Dominique, his heart stopping as her pale eyes caught his. The older witch brushed past the cluster of assembled cousins and nearly ran up the stairwell.

Once the awkward silence lifted, food was announced with a holler from the dining room. Everyone shuffled into the cramped space, a very long table taking up most of the square footage. Scorpius was seated in between Rose and Albus while Lily was placed next to her mother across from him. There was a noted absence of Dominique from dinner.

"Well, Dominique sure knows how to make a dramatic entrance. Now she is refusing dinner?"

Scorpius saw his girlfriend smirk as she helped herself to the roast ham. Rose seemed to object to the comment; chiding Lily, "Work has been hard for her lately since she is now under Mrs. Skeeter's division. I do understand her wish for everyone to leave her alone, our family can be rather _intrusive._ "

Lily just rolled her eyes tearing a piece of roll in half. Scorpius hadn't seen Dominique in nearly three years since that fateful party. His infatuation with her had decreased slightly since then; separation softening the feelings he had held for her. She was as beautiful as he remembered her being, and just as elusive. That moment when they made eye contact had him feeling a little flustered. It was probably due to the absence of her presence in his life. At school, he had seen her nearly every day. Her sudden re-entrance into his life was startling to his senses.

He sipped at the mulled cider in his glass. The food was copious, and rather tasty. Albus was shoveling in food nonstop while Rose was chatting away with one of her uncles. Scorpius was hungry, but he couldn't stop thinking of Dominique. So she was having a bad day at work, which was normal. What seemed to have upset her most was her father's meddling. It was typical for a parent to want to help their child, but Scorpius understood why sometimes it was just better to leave someone be. When one came from a prominent family, it was easy to feel like your successes were a product of your family's influence and not your own achievement.

A part of him wanted to go up and see her. He knew that was probably a very bad idea. He was dating Lily, and knowing his feelings about Dominique it was not good to tempt. Not that she would probably do anything, for all he knew she was in a relationship as well. This was a girl he had been infatuated with since he was eleven. Scorpius could talk to her if he wished.

Midway through the meal, he could not stand it any longer.

Excusing himself from the table, he wandered around the empty rooms listening to the distant sound of conversation. Rose had given him a queer look when he left and there had been a frown of disappointment on Lily's face. He would have remained at dinner longer, but he felt pulled to the woman he had seen run upstairs.

The stairwell squeaked under his weight, ruining any chance for a sneaky entrance.

Scorpius found her finally on the top landing in a makeshift living room. It was full of worn furniture that had probably belonged elsewhere. A rug of faded blue covered the wood floors and he saw the witch sitting Indian style against a cushion. Her gaze was fixed on a round window carved into the ceiling. A bright white moon shone through the glass.

She didn't look at him as he approached her, instead keeping her eyes locked on the moon. Scorpius stood there, squirming slightly in the near silence of the top landing. The Christmas party seemed so far away at that moment. Her jacket had been discarded along with her scarf on a nearby chair. She was dressed in a long sleeved red dress that was conservatively cut, but tailored perfectly to her figure. Her golden brown hair was flowing freely over her shoulders. He came forward sitting on his knees in front of her.

Finally, Dominique acknowledged his presence. Her lips turned up slightly, a faint smile painting her face, "Hello, Scorpius. Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas Dominique. Long time, no see."

She chuckled, "What has it been, three years? How've you been? You are graduating in May, right?"

"It's been two and a half years, I am doing quite well, and yes I will graduate if Longbottom doesn't fail me out of Herbology."

"Oh god, please don't remind me. I caught my hair on fire during his N.E.W.T.S exam because I mishandled fire crab fern."

They now both laughed. Dominique gave him a queer look, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. Scorpius was transfixed by the action.

"Why are you here Scorpius? The last time we spoke we were drinking firewhiskey –"

She paused before crawling on her hands and knees to a floorboard under a chair. Scorpius avoided staring at her precarious position, instead watching as she tapped the floorboard with her wand. It lifted and the witch procured a bottle of Blishen's Cinnamon Firewhisky.

He couldn't help but smile.

"We kept this stash up here for occasions such as this. Holidays seem to drive even the most sober person to drink. I can swig this straight from the bottle," she demonstrated then offered the glass container to Scorpius. He had a bit more experience with firewhisky since the party three years ago. The cinnamon was prominent, but the whisky was good.

"As I was saying, why are you here Scorpius? Did Rose send you up here to make sure I wasn't wallowing in sadness?"

"No, I just saw how upset you were and worried. I know what it's like for family to stick their nose into people's business."

Scorpius joined her against the wall; the two of them passed the firewhisky back and forth. She reasoned, "Work really isn't that bad, Mrs. Skeeter just expects a lot out of her writers. If I can survive, she said I could even get promoted to full-time reporter with a weekly column! But, if my Aunt Ginny talks to her, I am worried she'll just wreck it."

Silence once more descended on the pair. It seemed everyone downstairs had moved to the living room and were singing carols, a piano joining in now and then.

No one had come up to check on Dominique, or come searching for Scorpius.

Their hands touched as they both reached for the bottle, and Scorpius felt his skin tingle. He glanced up and saw her watching him, her mouth parted slightly. They were sitting so close to one another, that if he moved any closer they would meld together at the side.

She leaned forward and alarms went off in his head, this was bad, this was very bad.

Her breath tickled his chin as she kissed him. This wasn't the kiss like before; it wasn't a chaste peck on the lips. He felt alive and energized, her lips were pressing firmly on his own and her hands moved to his shoulders. Despite the nagging feeling that they _really_ shouldn't be doing this, a part of him felt like this was right.

A part of him felt like he should never kiss anyone else but Dominique.

Without warning he wrapped his arms around her midsection bringing her forward to sit on his lap. Her height was an added bonus as Scorpius didn't have to bend forward to accommodate their kiss. One set of fingers wove its way into the back strands of her hair, right at the base of her neck. His other hand was still holding firmly to her waist holding her still as if at any moment she would evaporate into thin air.

Dominique had deepened their kiss. Her lips were demanding as he felt his head go back against the wall.

They broke apart for a second to look at one another, to affirm that what they were doing was being enjoyed by both. Scorpius saw a gleam in Dominique's eye, the first he had seen all night. It brought him back to that mischievous girl at the party daring him to drink that firewhisky. Hastily, he jerked her back to him and she responded by opening her mouth, her tongue grazing his bottom lip. He worked his way from her lips to her jawline, stopping right before her ear and kissing his way down her collarbone. She was squirming in his lap causing a friction in his pants that was feeling a little bit too good.

This hadn't been his reason for coming upstairs to see her. Or, at least he was pretty sure it wasn't. Lily was downstairs with her family, with Dominique's family, and yet they were up here doing this. The thought of Lily left him a cold. He was effectively cheating on his girlfriend with her cousin. He was actively kissing Dominique when his girlfriend was three floors below them.

Suddenly, he held Dominique at arms distance. She was confused. Her plush lips parted as she huffed in disappointment, "What's wrong?"

"I can't do this." The wizard scrambled away, gently placing Dominique on the ground next to him as he got up, "I'm dating Lily and I can't be up here kissing you while I am dating her."

In a hot second, the witch had jumped to her feet as well. There was a look of fury in her face as she came forward, shoving him soundly in the chest. Scorpius was surprised at the gesture, knowing that he was in big trouble.

"You are dating Lily! Why didn't you tell me that? I thought you had come up here to console me so you could –" she seemed to blush at the thought in her head. "– so you could get into my _pants_! Rose told me all about your little crush and that night at the party had been your moment to…oh, Merlin!"

Before Scorpius could stop her, Dominique was grabbing her coat and high tailing it down the stairs. He quietly called after her, "Dominique, wait, I can explain about everything!"

There was only the sound of her stomping down the stairs. Scorpius waited for screaming of any kind, and the sound of pitchforks sharpening in his honor. They would all murder him for this. There was no screaming, however. All he heard was the sound of caroling.

Rose was waiting for him at the foot of the stairwell. She was smug and Scorpius scowled at her.

"Where's Dominique?"

The red-haired witch shrugged, "She's in the kitchen; in a nasty temper tonight. Nearly knocked me over as she was coming down the stairs. Your girlfriend, Lily, is in the living room with everyone else."

He was at a crossroads. He could either go try talking to Dominique, or return to Lily's side. He picked the latter knowing it was the right thing to do. Scorpius readied himself before walking towards the living room. Rose called out after him.

"Hey Scorpius, I thought you should know that you have some lipstick on your face."

The only response she received was the sound of Scorpius' cursing.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is going to be a couplet, so the next two chapters will take place on the same day.**

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 **August 11th, 2024**

Scorpius sat at his desk staring at the leaning tower of paperwork he had to finish. It was his third month as a Junior Director at M&S Industries, and he found the daily work was becoming a bit tedious. Despite how glamourous his title sounded, he really was a glorified secretary. He organized meetings, filed paperwork, and sat in on discussions taking notes while others talked. Occasionally, he would screen potential clients or field questions from journalists. All in all, his work was a bit boring.

Checking his watch, Scorpius noticed that an hour had flown by without much excitement. His coffee cup was empty and his legs needed a stretch. A break for fresh coffee would be a much welcomed relief.

The wizard grabbed his mug and made a beeline for the office kitchen. The offices of M&S Industries were above Parliament Square, a quick walk away from the Ministry of Magic. It was a recently developed company created after the Great War. M&S Industries had thrived in the environment of the lapsed economy. Over four hundred people were employed around the world for M&S Industries. The company was championed as a producer of Wizarding jobs. That was until the news of a multinational merger had leaked to the press. Now, M&S Industries was being blackened as a corporation hell-bent on overtaking the globe. This was the reason Scorpius had so much paperwork piled high on his desk.

It wasn't a terrible place to work. The headquarters of M&S were posh enough with titanium paneling and expansive glass windows overlooking the city. Scorpius' office overlooked Big Ben and the River Thames. Sometimes he would find himself watching the Muggles on the street walking by, oblivious to the magical happenings above them. The office kitchen was a bright white space with a tea kettle always magically filled with tea, and a French Press that poured itself. Draco helped himself to a large cup of black coffee, forgoing the accessories of milk and sugar. He leaned against the counter enjoying the smell of the roasted coffee beans.

Mrs. Treeborn, the office manager, walked in a moment later. She was a plump woman, as wide as she was tall. Her grey hair was always secured in a neat braid and her eyes were small and beady. She favored dark colored robes making her a shadow that swept through the otherwise bright office space. Scorpius liked Mrs. Treeborn; she had a no-nonsense personality that was refreshing. He found people were always unnecessarily flattering, a characteristic Mrs. Treeborn did not possess.

"Good Morning, Mr. Malfoy. You are having your third cup of coffee this morning, rough day already?"

Scorpius smirked. She was a hawk; nothing went unnoticed by Mrs. Treeborn. However, her keen observations made her an effective office manager.

The older witch helped herself to tea with extra sugar. Scorpius made room for her on the counter, scooting over to rest against the wall. Mrs. Treeborn looked at him, her beady eyes bright, "We have a journalist waiting in the lobby. She is one of Skeeter's puppets from _The Prophet_. I told the girl didn't have an appointment, but she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. She said she would wait in the lobby until someone would see her."

Mrs. Treeborn shuttered, "The nerve of these young people!"

Scorpius sighed.

For the past week, Scorpius had been fielding questions from every Wizarding news outlet in Europe. The newspapers were sensationalizing that the new multinational merger meant M&S was cornering the global market; pushing out honest business owners. The chief issue the papers (and the rest of the English Wizarding Community) were having was the expansion of M&S Industries to South Africa. Many worried about how the market would deal with the country's economic globalization. Was this detrimental to the native businesses? The word "conglomerate" had been thrown around; a buzz word that painted M&S Industries as the bad guy.

The South African office would be their tenth international locale probably leading to more expansion. All of it meant little to Scorpius other than extra bookkeeping. He was surprised a journalist actually had the audacity to show up to their doorstep. If Mrs. Treeborn could not scare them off, it was obvious the journalist was determined.

Scorpius rubbed his brow, "I guess I can deal with them. I don't have anything scheduled until after lunch anyway, and I need a break from the paperwork on my desk. I'll go with you to the lobby."

The older witch led Scorpius through the corridors to the elevator. The elevator ride was silent. It appeared Mrs. Treeborn was mustering the most withering look in her arsenal. Scorpius was just plain exhausted. He drank from the coffee mug in his hand wondering if there was a way to intravenously insert caffeine into his bloodstream.

The receptionist nervously tittered as the duo exited the elevator. She was a new hire, a timid girl with ashy brown hair. The witch was deathly afraid of Mrs. Treeborn, like most people in the office. Scorpius smiled at the poor receptionist before he spotted the journalist.

He nearly dropped his coffee mug.

Sitting in one of the black lounge chairs was Dominique Weasley; she appeared rather bored flipping through the pages of the latest _Quibbler_. Her head rose at the sound of Mrs. Treeborn and Scorpius approaching her. Their eyes met. If Dominique was surprised, she did not let it show. Instead, she remained impassive and stood up setting the _Quibbler_ aside. She directed her attentions at Mrs. Treeborn, a sickly sweet smile spreading across her face, "Oh, you have returned! I knew you could squeeze me in for a meeting."

Mrs. Treeborn did not return the witch's smile. Instead she grimaced, "Fortunately, Mr. Malfoy had a cancellation in his schedule and was willing to meet with you. Next time, Miss Juste, I suggest calling ahead before you show up to an office."

 _Miss Juste?_

Scorpius frowned. Was it one too many cups of coffee, or had Mrs. Treeborn just referred to Dominique as "Miss Juste"? He rubbed at his eyes but still Dominique remained in front of him. She was Miss Juste.

The ladies, momentarily, ignored the wizard. Instead they appeared to be shooting daggers at one another. It wasn't entirely unheard of for writers to use pseudonyms. Maybe that was the reason for the unfamiliar "Miss Juste". Before the two women could come to blow, Scorpius intervened by reaching out his hand to Dominique. Cautiously he smiled, "It is a pleasure to meet you _Miss Juste_. Let me show you to my office."

Dominique gave him a hard stare before she shook her head and picked up her belongings and followed him. Scorpius felt the hard stare of Mrs. Treeborn at his back. He would wait until they got into the safety of his office before he said anything. The witch at his side remained silent, as well.

It was an excruciating elevator ride up to his office and he nearly pushed the witch into the privacy of his office space.

He drowned the remainder of his coffee before he set the mug down on a stack of papers. Dominique took a seat in one of the wing-backed chairs on the other side of his desk. Big Ben struck its last chord before silence descended on London. Scorpius took a seat and observed the young woman preoccupied with her briefcase. She was dressed neatly in a navy button-up blouse and brown pencil skirt. Her stockings were argyle patterned and she wore a pair of heels reminiscent of men's dress shoes. He couldn't help but notice her cheeks were flushed pink and there were faint shadows underneath her pale eyes.

The wizard addressed her, "What are you doing here Dominique _?_ "

A Quick-Quotes Quill floated near her head along with a leather-bound journal. Dominique rolled her eyes, her voice taking on a peppy tone, "I am here, Mr. Malfoy, to discuss the recent merger between the South African based, Wizarding Retailers, and M&S Industries. The readers of _The Daily Prophet_ are curious to know what your thoughts are on the merger. Some would say that M&S Industries is taking advantage of countries with declining economies."

Her tone was critical with a sharp edge underneath all the false perkiness. The quill beside her head was rapidly scribbling away in the journal.

So, this was how she was going to play it?

"Well, _Miss Juste_ , I will have you know that I am unable to speak candidly about the proceedings. Also, I met with a colleague of yours from _The Prophet_ yesterday. Mr. Greengrass seemed to collect all the needed details for a solid article on the merger," Scorpius made sure to sound dismissive. His inborn Malfoy arrogance rose to the surface.

The flush on the woman's cheeks grew, but she was smart enough not to reveal how flustered she was. There were many things racing through Scorpius' head. He was surprised that the witch was even sitting in his office. The last time he had seen her, she had been running away from him at Christmas. He thought of the kiss and involuntarily shuttered. It hadn't been the smartest move, on his part, but it had happened and he had tried everything in his power to make things right. He had ended his relationship with Lily after the two had returned to school. After their breakup, Scorpius had led the life of a monk; he hadn't been on one date or even been in the vicinity of a woman for eight months. It had been a long eight months.

"If that is all _Miss Juste,_ " he nearly spit out the words. "I have a lot of work to do."

Dominique's quill remained at the ready, but she was silent.

Instead the young woman rose from her chair, briefcase in hand, quill following her movements. Scorpius knew he had screwed up. Her fist was clenched tightly on her briefcase and he wondered if she would dare throw something at him in his office. She was prone to sudden action, but she was also calculating. He waited and she finally responded, "Well, thank you Mr. Malfoy for your time. Obviously, you have said everything you are going to say and I will leave you alone."

With that the witch turned to leave.

Scorpius was immobile in his chair from surprise. She was leaving? After that brief verbal spar, she was going to run away again? He felt anger well up, but also hurt. They hadn't seen each other in eight months and that was it.

Quickly, he leapt from his chair; making sure to keep his voice level, "Dominique, wait!"

The witch did not turn around, but she did stop right as her hand reached the doorknob. Her shoulders were squared as he continued to talk her down from the ledge, "Come sit down, I am sorry for the way I acted."

He noticed the quill was still writing away in the journal. It paused when he stopped talking and Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Can we speak without that thing writing down every word I say?"

Dominique softly muttered a spell and the quill and the journal whizzed back into a pocket of her briefcase. The witch turned around and her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Scorpius' felt his chest clench, he hadn't wanted her to cry. Even though he was angry and confused and hurt by her actions, he would never in a million years wish her to be crying.

Her bottom lip quivered but there was a resolve in her eyes not to break down. Scorpius reached out for her arm and she jerked it away. He felt like he was dealing with a caged animal and opted to remain still letting her take action.

She took a calming breath, "I _can't_ do this right now, Scorpius. I have work to do and if you aren't going to be helpful I am going to leave. Thank you for your time."

Scorpius reasoned, "If you can't do this here, how about we do this over dinner?"

It was a stretch, but he hoped Dominique would take the bait. Her eyes narrowed.

"I'll go to dinner with you –"

He momentarily relaxed and waited for her to finish.

"– _IF_ I can get a headline story from you!"

A smirk crept to her face and Scorpius knew he was in trouble.


End file.
